Taiwan Business Quick Take

Staff writer, with agencies

ECONOMY

Sales fall 2.3 percent

The nation’s wholesale, retail and restaurant sales dropped 2.3 percent month-on-month and 0.6 percent year-on-year to NT$1.18 trillion (US$40.22 billion) last month, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. The ministry said weak demand for information and communication products was responsible. A ministry survey showed that 88.8 percent of polled firms forecast sales would be flat this month from last month, 6.1 percent predicted a decline and 5.1 percent said revenue would increase.

ECONOMY

SMEs reach 1.3m

The number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Taiwan reached 1.3 million last year, up 2.11 percent from 2011 and accounting for 97.67 percent of total businesses, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. SME revenue totaled NT$11.38 trillion last year, up 1.38 percent from 2011, while SMEs employed 8.48 million people, up 1.76 percent year-on-year, the ministry said.

TRADE

E.Sun, TAITRA team up

E.Sun Commercial Bank (玉山銀行) yesterday said it had teamed up with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) to help local businesses penetrate the China market. The bank said its online payment platform E.Sun Trade is working with TAITRA’s online trading platform iDealEZ to offer Chinese buyers a way to make direct payments to Taiwanese exporters.

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